This Ain’t Golf – A Movie Review

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cross country, McFarland, movie, Running

Finally saw ” McFarland” which is based on a true story about a cross country coach, a high school and it’s cross country team.

Briefly, the story is about a football coach who after being fired as a football coach comes up with a scheme to start a cross country team at McFarland High School in an attempt to save his job.  He knows nothing about cross country and the students at McFarland don’t either.

McFarland is a poor town who’s resident’s are mostly Hispanic and work in agriculture meaning they work in the fields picking crops.

In one scene the Coach explains to his runners that in Cross Country the lowest score wins, like golf he says.  Golf is something that is not on his runner’s radar.

The running sequences in the movie are not realistic.  But that’s not the point of         ” McFarland.”

I realized a few days after watching the movie that the real story is how these high school students and their coach against all odds managed to win the California State XC Championship.

That’s what the movie is really about.

In the scene depicting the start of the championship race one of the McFarland runners leans over to a preppy looking kid while they are both on the starting line.  He asks if the kid plays golf and the kid replies ” Yeah.”

The McFarland runner says ” Well, this ain’t golf” and the gun goes off to start the race.

In reality it took the McFarland HS team eight years to win it’s first championship and it has since won the state title in it’s division 24 times.  Hey, it’s a movie but 24 championships is a pretty real number.

The story of how running can transform a person is real.  The story of what running can do, what running is and what running means is very real.

Look past the movie and see the story.  I’m glad that I finally did because this ain’t golf.

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The Waiting Game

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26.2, Philadelphia Marathon, Running, training

Today is Wednesday, October 28th.  According to my desktop countdown gizmo I have 23 days and 16 some odd hours to 7:00am on Sunday, November 22nd which not coincidentally is when the flag drops on the starting line at the 2015 Philadelphia Marathon.

My starting corral is so far back…It’s so far from the front that I will enjoy full and private use of my choice of a porta john well after the official start at 7am.

And it really doesn’t matter when you cross the start since your chip time is your chip time and all you have to do is deduct 25 or 30 minutes from each mile market clock for your ballpark time until your brain fuzzes over and you don’t care what time it is.

Then you start to play mileage math.  Let’s see I just passed 15 so that means – Dang  -still 11 to go.  You get the picture.

I have installed the ten day Philadelphia weather forecast on the bookmarks bar but have not been checking it obsessively just yet.  Mostly I’m waiting, running  and waiting for that Sunday a couple of weeks hence.

I can’t say the ” Hay is in the Barn” since my training is not quite complete and frankly with 23 days ( see above) to go all the hay that I need to put in the barn will not happen.  How can you be out of time with three weeks to go?

Easy – With 26 miles looming after a summer of nagging injuries the hay or training or miles are all a bit on the short side.  Surely enough to cover 13.1 and maybe even get to the 18 or 19 neighborhood.  But big bopper 26 is gonna be a reach.

Honestly, it’s always a reach and that’s what makes it so desirable and compelling isn’t it?

If we all knew that running 26 was a breeze then it wouldn’t hold the anticipation it does on the starting line or the meaning that it does at the finish line.

There’s a line for a future post eh?  ” The Meaning at the Finish Line.”

A Late October Running Gift

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Fall, Running

October 22nd and temperature in the mid 60’s.  It’s not often we get such wonderful weather at this time of year especially when 26.2 is only 29.0 days away.

Took advantage of the afternoon sunshine and stretched what I had planned to be a three mile run into five and a half.

The days are getting shorter and the mileage needs to get longer but that’s what Saturday’s are all about in October if one is inclined to challenge the beast one more time.

Walk Don’t Run or Run Don’t Walk or Don’t Run At All

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injuries, Philadelphia Marathon, Running

The PF (Plantar Fasciitis) saga continues and as we head into mid October and with Philadelphia only 37 days away I’m fighting the calendar and the lost miles.

Here’s the odd thing about all this – I can run fine.  It only hurts when I walk or laugh.

No, seriously I can run though not at the mileage levels I should be running but I can run.  It’s when I stop that it all falls to pieces.

Too early to make a decision about what I’ll do on that Sunday morning in November.  Drop to the half, go for all 26 or stay home for the weekend are my options.

I suppose I could walk all 26 miles.  Is there a Clif Bar Pace team for that?

I’ve tried every PF remedy known to modern running science except, except, except the one cure all that will cure all my fascia woes and that is to put my running shoes someplace I can’t see them so I can’t put them on, so I can’t lace ’em up and I can’t head out the door.

I see Dr. Sports Doc on Monday and we’ll see what he says after I present him with my weekend mileage report. In the meantime…